Multiple-fuse plug



Oct. 30, 1923. 1,472,099

. W. H. TAYLOR ET AL v MULTIPLE FUSE PLUG Filed March 10. 1921 INVENTORS 6714/ 5 BY ATTORNEY WM M 2%.,

Patented Oct. 30, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. TAYLOR, CE ABLIS W. DOWNS, AND J AOOB.W. man, 01' lDEl'BOIT, MICHIGAN.

HUMBLE-FUSE PLUG.

Application filed latch 10, 1921. Serial Io. 451,298..

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that we, WILLIAM H. Tarpon, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and CHARLES W. Downs and JACOB W. BAnnmr, citizens of the United States, residing at Detroit, county of Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful in rovement in Multiple-Fuse Plugs, and dec are the following to be a full,'clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference bein had to the accompanying drawings, whic form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to multiple fuse plugs and the principal object of the invention is to rovide a fuse plug having a series of fuse e ements therein, means being provided for connecting one of the elements at a time in the circuit, the said means including indicating means to indicate which fuse element is connected. With the fuse plu now commonly in use containing a singe fuse element, when the fuse element is blown it is necessary to discard the entire fuse plug as being unfit for further use and therefore one of the main objects of the invention is to provide a fuse plug which may be blown a number of times before being discarded. A further object of the invention is to provide a fuse plug of the character described rovided with means for separately indicating which fuse elements are blown and which are not blown. A novel feature of the invention resides in the provision of means for indicatin which fuse element is in the circuit in com ination with means for indicating whether or not the said fuse element is blown, said indicating means also indicating the fuse elements which are not blown so that the user may easily change the contact from a blown fuse element to one which is not blown. A further object of the invention is to provide a multiple fuse plug which is very simple and efficient in operation and in which the change from one fuse to the other within the plug may be very easily accomplished. These objects and the several novel features of the invention are hereinafter more fully described and claimed and the preferred form of construction by which these objects are attained is shown in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of a fuse plug embodying my invention with the mlca cover partly broken away to show the construction. F Figl. 2 is a section taken on line 2-2 of 1 v ig. 3 is a view of the under side of the fuse plug. Fi 4 is a detail view of the contact pin for t e different fuse elements.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the fuse elements.

The fuse plug consists of a body 1 having a series of vent chambers 2 therein the said chambers widening out atthe upper end to provide rectangular openings 3 in the upper ace of the plug as shown in Fig. 1. A recess 5 is provided in the central portion 4 of the fuse plu and an aperture 6 extends through the portion 4 of the fuse plug and opens into the recess 5. A shallow recess is provided in the upper face of the plug having a flange 7 therea out and in this recess is inserted a mica disc 8 which is held in place by the flange 7 as will be readily understood. As shown in Fig. 1 the disc 8-covers all but a small ortion of the rectangular openings 3 and 'a so completel covers the recess 5 as shown in Fi 2. e lower end of the plug which is 0 smaller diameter carries an outer shell 9 which is formed of copper, brass or other good conducting metal and which is formed with threads 10 therein adapted to fit the threads of a socket. Secured to the outer shell 9 is a series of fuse elements 11 shown more particularly in Fig. 5 which are preferably soldered to the shell 9 in order to make a good contact. These fuse elements 11 are each provided with an angularly extending end 12 adapted to fit in the upper end of a series of recesses 13 provided therefor and spaced circumferentially about the aperture 6 as shown more particularly in Figs. 2 and 3. Each fuse element 11 is provided with an aperture 14 therein as shown more particularly in Fig.

5 and by varying the size of the aperture the current carrying capacity of the fuse ele ment is varied. When the fuse elements 11 have been secured in position. the apertures 14 and portions adjacent thereto are positioned in, the vent chambers 2 of the fuse plug as shown in Fig.2. To hold the fuse elements in position I provide a portion 15 made of a plastic insulating material which is adapted to harden and which is provided with points 16 extending between the apertures 13 providing guides for the bent end 17 of a contact pin 18 which is provided with a return bent end 19 adapted to fit the recesses 18. This pin 18, as shown in Fig. 4, is provided with an upwardly extending point 28' and in assembly the portion 18 of the pin is inserted through the aperture 6 at which time the point 20 is bent over in the recess 5 as shown in Fi 2 and the mica disc is then inserted in tie recess therefor.

In operation the contact pin 1.8 is positioned within the fuse plug as shown in Fig. 2 and, as will be noted from Fig. 1, the point 20 thereof indicates the fuse element which is contacted. The pin 18 is of practically the same diameter as the aperture (3 and therefore tends to bind slightly in the said aperture thus preventing the member 18 from dropping down in the said aperture and withdrawing the end 19 from the recess therefor. When the contact in has been set, as shown in Fig. 2, the fuse plug is threaded into a socket therefor, the depending bent end 17 engaging the contact point in the said socket which forces upwardly on the pin 18 and holds the return bent end 19 thereof in contact with the angularly bent end 12 of the respective fuse element 11. While thus assembled should too great a current pass through the fuse element 11 the element will blow adjacent the aperture 14 where the member 11 is of the least current carrying capacity and the force of the fuse blowing will be directed upwardly through the vent chamber 2 and opening 3, the force of the blow tending to pass outwardly through the opening 3 adjacent the edge of the mica disc 8 which discolors the same over the aperture 2 and indicates that the fuse is blown. \Vhen this occurs the fuse plug is removed from the socket and the bent end 17 of the pin 18 is drawn downwardly until limited by the point 20 striking the bottom of the recess 5. At this time the return bent end 19 is clear of the fuse plug and the contact pin 18 may be turned to position the return bent end 19 thereof in another aperture 13 which connects with a fuse element which has not been blown as indicated by the mica being clear and transparent over the opening 3 for the respective fuse element. It can thus be seen that each time the fuse blows the contact pin may be reset to contact a fuse element which has not blown as indicated by the mica being clear and transparent over the said unblown fuse element and the device may be thus reset several times before the plug is entirely used up. \Vhile we have shown six different fuse elements in the drawing it is to be understood that a greater or less number may be utilized as desired or as found most efiicient in operation. A coiled spring 21 shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 is preferably utilized on the pin 18 to hold the end 19 in contact with the respective fuse element. This spring 21 holds the pin 18 in position and prevents accidental displacement thereof.

From the foregoing description it becomes evident that the device is very simple and etlicient in operation, of comparatively low manufacturing cost and provides a fuse plug which may be used many times before eing discarded and which accomplishes the objects described.

Having thus fully described my invention, its utility and mode of operation, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is- 1. A multiple fuse plug comprising a body formed of insulating material having a central aperture therethrough and a series of recesses spaced circumferentially about the said aperture, an outer contact shell threaded to fit a socket, a series of fuse elements connected thereto,each provided with an angularly bent end extending into a recess, a contact pin rotatably mounted in the central aperture and having a return bent end adapted to contact any fuse element, and an indicator carried by the said pin observable from the outer end of the plug indicating the fuse element contacted thereby.

2. n a fuse plug, a body of insulating material having a longitudinal central aperture, an outer shell of metal adapted for threaded relation with a socket providing an outer contact member, a series of fuse elements in spaced relation connected with the said shell and extending inwardly toward the central aperture, a central contact pin actuatable from the contact end to position in contact with the end of any of the fuse elements, the contact pin being held in fixed relation with the element upon insertion of the plug in the socket, and an indicator member on the pin observable from the exterior of the plug when in use indicating the element through which the circuit is made.

3. In a fuse plug, a hollow body of insulating material, a transparent member therefor, an outer contact member on the body adapted for threaded relation with a socket, a series of fuse elements in spaced relation extending toward the center of the body and connected with the outer contact member, a central contact pin adapted to be placed in contact with any one of the fuse elements and locked from displacement by insertion of the plug in the socket, a series of vent chambers, one for each fuse clement across the lower end of which the fuse element extends in each instance, said chambers extending to the outer exposed end of the plug, the vent chambers each opening to atmosphere at the edge of the transparent member whereby the blowing of any fuse Inc tends to discolor the'same at the edge, and an indicator member observable from the outer endof the plug indicating the element in elements at the inner end of the plug con nected with the said outer contact member and extending in spaced relation radially toward the center of the plug, a series of longitudinal recesses about the central aperture at the inner end in each of which a fuse element terminates, a central contact pin having a return bent lower end adapted for insertion in any one of the longitudinal recesses, the opposite end of the pin having means thereon showing the side of the pin on which the lower return-bent end is positioned, a series of vent chambers onefor each fuse element closed at the lower end and open to atmosphere through the outer end, a mica cover for the outer end of the plug covering the major portion of the said chambers, each element having a portion of least current carryin ca acity positioned in the respective vent c am er.

' 5. A. multiple fuse plug comprising a body formed of insulating material having acentral aperture therethrough and a series of recesses spaced circumferentially thereabout, the said body being also provided with a series of vent chambers, an outer contact shell threaded to fit a socket, a series of fuse elements connected thereto each extending through a vent chamber and into a recess, the point of least current ca acity of the fuse elements being posit-ione in the said vent chambers, a mica disc covering the vent chambers at the outer end of the plug and adapted to be discolored adjacent the vent chamber when the respective fuse element is blown thereby providing an indicator, a contact pin adapted to contact the end of any fuse element, and an-indicatorcarried by the said pin indicating the fuse element contacted thereb tion with the mica disc indicating whether the fuse element contacted is blown.

6. A multiple fuse plug comprising a body formed of insulating material having a central aperture therethrough and a series of recesses circumferentiall thereabout, the said body being also provi ed with a series of vent chambers, an outer contact shell threaded to fit a socket, a series of fuse elements connected thereto each extending through a'vent chamber and into a recess,

a cover for the vent chambers, a contact pin rotatably mounted a mica disc providing in the central aperture'having a return bent and in. combina-- end adapted to contact the end of any fuse element, and an indicator carried by the said pin observable through the mica disk indicatin the fuse element contacted thereby.

7.' n a fuse plug, a body of insulating 'material having a central aperture and an contact pin in the said central aperture of the plug havin' a return bent lower end, the lower end 0 the'plug having a series of longitudinal recesses in which the inner end of each fuse element is positioned, said return bent end being adapted for insertion in any one of the longitudinal recesses, the said pin at the outer end having a portion bent outwardly on the same side as the o posite return bent end and .being observable through the said transparent member and indicating from the exterior the position of the inner return bent end.

8. In a fuse plug, a body of insulating material, an outercontact member secured to the lower end thereof, a series of fuse elements extending in spaced relation from the outer contact member toward the center of the body, a central contact member movable longitudinally in the body and having an end adapted to be positioned in contact with any one of the fuse elements, the opposite end of the said central member having a pointer thereon observable from the a central aperture and a series of recesses spaced circumferentially about the said central aperture, an outer contact member, a series of fuse elements connected thereto each extending into a recess, and a contact pin carried in the central aperture having a return bent endadapted to be inserted in any recess to contact the fuse extending thereinto, the opposite end of the pin having an indicator extending on the same side of the pin as the said return bent portion of the opposite end. 7

In testimony whereof, we sign this specification.

' WILLIAM H. TAYLOR.

CHARLES W. DOWNS. J AOOB W. BARBEY. 

